


It's Okay

by snovyda



Category: Mission: Impossible (Movies)
Genre: Angst, Injury, M/M, Mutual Pining, at least that's what I had in mind
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-25
Updated: 2018-11-25
Packaged: 2019-08-29 05:13:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 640
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16737772
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/snovyda/pseuds/snovyda
Summary: Benji gets into a shootout in a mission gone wrong, and Ethan might be running late.





	It's Okay

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Pond_Melody](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pond_Melody/gifts).



> Originally posted on Tumblr for the prompt: Ethan/Benji + “Just breathe...you’re okay, I promise, just breathe.”

“They were waiting for us!” Benji’s voice is slightly hoarse and breathless in Ethan’s comms. It makes the older agent’s heart race. Then it stops completely when all he can hear is deafening gunfire.

“Hang on!” Ethan shouts, taking off from where he has been standing, surveying an emergency exit – a task now proven completely unnecessary, as the assailants have clearly come from some place they hadn’t found. Some place _Ethan_ hadn’t covered, hadn’t protected.

The gunfire in his ear seizes, and there is just silence there. Ethan stops, freezing in place.

“Benji?” he calls, rather dumbly. He can hear his own heartbeat pounding in his ears as he waits for a response. He knows he should be running, he knows he can’t waste a single precious second, and yet his limbs refuse to move, and he’s just waiting. Listening and waiting. “Benji!”

He can hear something. A few more seconds of listening and he realises it’s the sound of heavy breathing.

“Ben…”

“It’s okay,” comes a breathy half-whisper from the other end. “It’s… okay”.

Something in that sound tells Ethan that it might not be true. He forces that thought deep down in the pit of his stomach. He takes off running again, not trying to call out to Benji or ask him to keep talking. He needs to get to Benji. He needs to see for himself that he’s alright. Needs to get him out of here. Needs to take him to safety.

Turn after turn, one darkened hallway after another, Ethan mentally curses their plan – _his_ plan – over and over. The only sound he hears in his ear is Benji’s breathing, and something about it makes Ethan pray for it to not stop. He runs into yet another hallway and almost falls over when he notices a lone figure leaning against a wall in almost total darkness.

“Benji,” he whispers, inexplicably slowing down his pace as he walks toward him. Benji lifts his head up and takes a step towards him. His knees suddenly give way underneath him. He stumbles and begins to fall, but Ethan is there, catching him before he can hit the ground and wrapping his arms around him, drawing him close. Benji clings to him with all the strength he has, fingers digging into the fabric of Ethan’s shirt.

“Hey,” Ethan murmurs into Benji’s neck. “Hey, what’s-“

That’s when he can feel it. He realises that his hands, now resting on Benji’s back, are wet. He lifts one hand from Benji’s back and looks at it over Benji’s shoulder. It comes off red. He puts the hand back on Benji’s back and moves it slightly until he finds it. The wound, gaping on Benji’s back, blood leaving it freely and steadily. Benji’s hands tighten their grip on his shirt, and he feels very ill. Benji’s head is pressed against his shoulder, and he realises that Benji’s breathing is rattling, wet, like something is getting caught in his lungs, in his throat, each breath taking up more effort than the previous one.

“Just breathe…” he mumbles, barely aware of his own words, “you’re okay, I promise, just breathe”.

“It’s… okay,” Benji whispers in his ear. His whole body shudders and he lets out a weak cough. Ethan can feel wetness on his neck and shoulder. “S-sorry, it’s… ‘s okay, Ethan. I… just want you to know that I…” he shudders and coughs again, more rattling sound comes out. “I…” he tries to gasp for breath, tries to get some air.

Ethan holds him tighter, caught in a stupor of his worst nightmares. Benji’s hands squeeze the handfuls of Ethan’s shirt before slowly falling away and bonelessly hanging at his sides. The rattling sound gets weaker and rarer.

“Benji?” Ethan’s mind finally catches up with what has happened here. With what is happening now. “ _Benji!_ ”


End file.
